Iraq

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT IRAQ - PAGE 2

LONDON: British businesses have made profits worth at least 1.1 billion pounds since coalition forces toppled Saddam Hussein regime three years ago, a probe into UK corporate investment in Iraq has revealed. The companies include some of the best known names in Britain as well as many who would prefer to remain anonymous. They come from private security services, banks, PR consultancies, urban planning consortiums, oil companies, architects offices and energy advisory bodies.

NEW DELHI: Iraq's the place where you should be in, say many job seekers, despite the recent spate of kidnappings and beheadings. It is still the dream destination for the not-so-fortunate types. It is the source of big bucks for several Nepalis and Indians, for whom getting a well paid job holds prime importance . They have nothing to do with the country's political background or the US invasion of Baghdad in 2003. They are only concerned about making huge money in a short span of time.

NEW DELHI: Voicing India's stiff opposition to any unilateral military action against Iraq, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday said in Parliament the option of permitting more time to facilitate a decision within the UN framework should be given a chance. Making a statement in both Houses of Parliament, he warned that unilateralism on the Iraq issue would result in the UN being "deeply scarred" with "disastrous consequences" for the world order. "The Government of India would strongly urge that no military action be taken, which does not have the collective concurrence of the international community," he said.

NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday made it clear yet again that India would not send troops to Iraq in the absence of an explicit UN mandate. Rejecting Opposition contention that the government had given in to pressure from the US, external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha today said any consideration on sending troops to Iraq was ruled out unless an explicit mandate from the UN was made available. "The question whether we will send the troops after a UN mandate is in the future.

The poison of terrorism has now ripped into the humanitarian work of the United Nations, with the tragic bombing of its Iraq mission's headquarters. Dozens of innocent people were killed, including one of the world's most accomplished peacemakers, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Predictably, President Bush re-stated his determination to wage war on terrorism. Other leaders declared that the UN should not abandon its mission. Yet the bombing raises political questions that demand answers. Rather than bolstering its military occupation, the United States should leave Iraq, allowing the UN to continue its mission.

The huge anti-war demonstrations have apparently had no impact at all on the governments of the United States and Britain. These governments, which normally react to every little bump in the opinion polls, have not even slowed down their push for a second UN resolution that would allow military action against Iraq. This insensitivity to public opinion is being portrayed as an official recognition that Iraq is a much greater danger than most people realise. But Iraq is not in a position to pose a real military threat to either of these countries.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday that she was "proud" of the US decision to invade Iraq and said the Middle East had improved since President George W Bush took office. In an interview, Rice also cited progress in North Korea and China as evidence that the Bush administration, which has just seven months left in office, had made strides over the past eight years. "I am proud by the decision of this administration to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

NEW DELHI: As many as 140 Indians involved in labour issues in Basra in Iraq are coming back tomorrow after intervention by the Indian embassy there. "Labour issues resolved, coming back now. 140 Indians whose labour issues were resolved by Embassy are coming back from Basra, Iraq tomorrow," the Spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry tweeted today. There are several hundred Indians working in various fields in Iraq including steel mills, oil companies and construction projects.

OXFORD-MISSISSIPPI: Republican White House hopeful John McCain insisted Friday "we are winning in Iraq," while his Democratic rival Barack Obama said he was right to oppose the war from the start. In the 2008 campaign's first presidential debate, Obama said "we took our eye off the ball" by diverting military resources from Afghanistan to Iraq. But McCain said the "surge" of forces that he advocated for Iraq had "succeeded and we are winning in Iraq and we will come home with victory and honor.

MUMBAI: Hinduja group flagship company Ashok Leyland on Saturday shipped its first export consignment of 200 'Cargo 912' trucks to Iraq, out of a total of 3,322 vehicles, under the United Nation's 'Iraq Reconstruction Project'. The company would supply 1,661 trucks each to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Transport, Government of Iraq, under a $46 million contract, Ashok Leyland General Manager (Exports), Ram Cowsik, told reporters here. The trucks would be provided after-sales support, which includes supply of spare parts, overhauling and maintenance by the company's customer service support centre in Dubai and network dealers in the Gulf region, he said.